The crew of sailors, artists, musicians and historians on board Ar Seachrán - who are retracing the famous voyage of St Brendan - were refused permission to land on Skellig Michael, it has emerged. The Kerryman reports that though some…

Basking sharks have dominated recent sightings of large marine wildlife, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/marine-wildlife/ The largest shark species in Irish waters accounted for a whopping 43% of sightings submitted to the IWDG's ISCOPE database…

The annual Blessing of the Boats took place recently at Rush Sailing Club, the North County Leader reports. Local priest Fr Kieran Coughlan conducted the ceremony, which took place away from the boats this year due to particularly blustery conditions…

Ballyvergan marsh is under threat after the discovery of an illegal pipe being used to drain the wetlands area, claims Coastwatch. The Irish Times reports that the environmental group has called for immediate action over the draining of the marsh…

An 'underwater kite' developed by a Swedish company could be a simple answer to harnessing the power of the sea, The Local reports. The Deep Green device looks like a toy kite with a turbine attached. But when tethered to…

Seaweed picking is just one example of many 'green' tourist breaks now available in Ireland, according to The Irish Times. Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa in West Cork offers a two-night 'seaweed experience' for those looking for a more responsible,…

Cork-based boat charter firm Whale of a Time has posted video on its YouTube channel of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) tagging a basking shark from its boat Mischief: Apart from whales, basking sharks are the largest…

Pale bellied Brent Geese, Oystercatchers and pure yellow sand. Island life on one of Dublin's islands is described in detail in the Irish Indepdendent newspaper this weekend and its hard to believe that marine wildlife adventures such as this can…

The recent warm weather has attracted scores of basking sharks to feed in Irish waters weeks ahead of schedule, Metro reports. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/861530-basking-sharks-lured-to-uk-waters-early-by-warm-weather Video posted on YouTube by mackerel fishermen in Donegal Bay shows one of the sharks - the second…

People who live and work along the Northern Ireland coastline are being invited to help protect their community from crime as part of a national initiative supported by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Project Kraken is a UK-wide campaign…

Mini sailboats could soon be spotted in Irish waters if a US school project goes according to plan. The Bangor Daily News in Maine reports on the Educational Passages programme, through which middle school students will equip miniature sailboats with…

The yacht sailed by late former Taoiseach Charles Haughey has been offered as gift to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) as a research vessel. The Irish Times reports that 52ft Celtic Mist had been on sale in the…

ESB International is seeking foreshore liecences to develop a new wave energy project on the west coast. The Irish Times reports that the scheme is part of a strategy to generate 150MW of electricy from the sea by 2020, in…

Ireland's new safety framework for oil and gas extraction and production will be informed by lessons learned after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, The Irish Times reports. A report published last week by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER)…

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is running a new series of its popular whale watching courses on Cape Clear in Co Cork this summer. The first weekend course from 8-10 July 2011 caters for adults keen to learn…

Grassroots campaigners have called on the Government to ratify a UN convention on public access to decision-making on environmental issues. According to The Irish Times, activists at the first All-Ireland Community Campaigns Gathering in Dublin recently claimed that coastal communities…